The Three Minutes that Sunk the Sixers

BOSTON -- With eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Sixers led the Celtics
by four points, 57-53, and had Andre Iguodala heading to the foul line
for two free throws. They were set to maintain possession after Paul
Pierce was whistled for a clear-path foul.

The situation looked promising for Philadelphia.

Iguodala, though, missed both free throws and the game absolutely unraveled from that point forward.

"I
thought we had a good grip of the game, I really did," head coach Doug
Collins said of the early third-quarter lead. "It just went downhill
quickly."

Coach wasn't kidding. It all happened in a flash -- or
three minutes and four seconds to be exact. That's all it took for the
Sixers' four-point lead to turn into a six-point deficit. Those three
minutes were the most brutal stretch, but it wasn't the end by any
means.